No-Fault Case Law

Optimal Well-Being Chiropractic, P.c. v Ameriprise Auto & Home Ins. (2014 NY Slip Op 51858(U))

The relevant facts considered by the court in this case involved a dispute between Optimal Well-Being Chiropractic, P.C. and Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance. The issue decided was whether the insurance company had properly denied the claims for first-party no-fault benefits due to the failure of the plaintiff to appear for scheduled EUOs. The court ultimately held in favor of Optimal Well-Being Chiropractic, P.C., ruling that the insurance company had failed to submit proof by someone with personal knowledge of the nonappearance of the plaintiff at the EUOs in question, and therefore affirming the judgment in favor of the plaintiff.
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Flatlands Med., P.C. v Travelers Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51856(U))

The court considered a medical provider's appeal from an order granting a motion for summary judgment dismissing its complaint. The main issue was whether the insurance company had properly tolled its time to pay or deny the claims, as required by law. The court held that the insurance company failed to establish, as a matter of law, that it had properly tolled its time to pay or deny the claims, and therefore was not entitled to summary judgment dismissing these causes of action. The court also held that the insurance company untimely denied the claim upon which another cause of action was based, and therefore was not entitled to summary judgment on this cause of action. Finally, the court held that the affidavits submitted by the insurance company were sufficient to demonstrate that certain scheduling letters and denial of claim forms had been timely mailed, and as such, the insurance company was entitled to summary judgment dismissing these causes of action.
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EMC Health Prods., Inc. v Geico Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51834(U))

The relevant facts considered in this case were that the plaintiff, EMC Health Products, Inc., was seeking to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits from the defendant, Geico Ins. Co. Plaintiff moved for summary judgment, while defendant cross-moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, arguing that the action was premature because they had timely and properly requested verification and plaintiff had not responded. The main issue decided by the court was whether the 30-day period within which defendant was required to pay or deny the claims began to run, and whether plaintiff's action was premature. The holding of the case was that as defendant demonstrated that it had not received the verification requested, and plaintiff did not show that such verification had been provided to defendant prior to the commencement of the action, the 30-day period did not begin to run, and thus plaintiff's action was premature. Therefore, the appellate court reversed the lower court's decision, vacated the findings in favor of plaintiff, and granted defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
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Skymed Med., P.C. v Tri-State Consumer Ins. (2014 NY Slip Op 51833(U))

The court considered the fact that the defendant had timely mailed requests and follow-up requests for verification related to the claim at issue, but had not received the requested verification from the plaintiff. The main issue decided was whether the 30-day period within which the defendant was required to pay or deny the claims began to run. The holding of the case was that the defendant had not received the requested verification, and the plaintiff did not show that the verification had been provided to the defendant prior to the commencement of the action, making the plaintiff's action premature. As a result, the court reversed the order and granted the defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
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Bronx Park Med., P.C. v Clarendon Natl. Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51832(U))

The main issue in this case was whether the defendant insurance company was entitled to summary judgment dismissing the complaint brought by the plaintiff medical provider to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits. The court considered the fact that the defendant had timely mailed a denial of claim form citing lack of medical necessity, and had submitted an affirmed peer review report to support this determination. The court held that the defendant had made a prima facie showing of lack of medical necessity for the services at issue, and the plaintiff had not provided any rebuttal evidence. Therefore, the court reversed the order denying the defendant's motion for summary judgment and granted the motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
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Health Needles Acupuncture, P.C. v Praetorian Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51831(U))

The court considered whether the defendant had properly paid the plaintiff for services in accordance with the workers' compensation fee schedule. The main issue was whether the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment should have been granted and the defendant's cross motion for summary judgment should have been denied. The court held that the defendant had fully paid the plaintiff for the services according to the workers' compensation fee schedule. However, the court also held that the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on its first cause of action should have been granted, as the defendant did not demonstrate that it had timely denied the claim. Therefore, the court modified the order to grant the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on its first cause of action and deny the defendant's cross motion seeking to dismiss that cause of action.
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Medical Assoc., P.C. v Geico Gen. Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51829(U))

The Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County granted the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment and denied the defendant's cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. The case involved a provider seeking to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits. The defendant timely denied the claim based on a lack of medical necessity, but the court found a triable issue of fact regarding the medical necessity of the services at issue. As a result, the court modified the order to provide that the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment is denied. The decision was made on December 17, 2014.
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Cherkin v Praetorian Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51828(U))

The relevant facts considered by the court in this case were that Dr. Allen Cherkin was seeking to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits from Praetorian Insurance Company. The insurance company had denied the claim, and argued that the denial was timely mailed. However, the court found that there was a triable issue of fact regarding the medical necessity of the services at issue, and therefore denied the insurance company's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. The main issue decided was whether there was a triable issue of fact regarding the medical necessity of the services, and the holding of the court was that the denial of the claim forms were sufficiently established, but that there was indeed a triable issue of fact regarding the medical necessity. The court ultimately affirmed the order denying the insurance company's motion for summary judgment.
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Rainbow Supply of NY, Inc. v Geico Gen. Ins. Co. (2014 NY Slip Op 51827(U))

The court considered a dispute between Rainbow Supply of NY, Inc. and Geico General Insurance Co. concerning the recovery of first-party no-fault benefits for medical supplies. Rainbow Supply moved for summary judgment, while Geico cross-moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint based on a lack of medical necessity. The Civil Court denied Rainbow Supply's motion, made findings in their favor, denied Geico's cross-motion, and held that the only remaining issue for trial was medical necessity. The Appellate Term affirmed the Civil Court's decision, finding that there was a triable issue of fact regarding the medical necessity of the supplies at issue. Therefore, the order was affirmed with costs.
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Compas Med., P.C. v Nationwide Ins. (2014 NY Slip Op 51826(U))

The court considered a provider's motion to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits, as well as the defendant insurance company's cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. The main issue was whether the defendant had timely and properly denied the claims at issue, based on the plaintiff's failure to appear for independent medical examinations and the claims exceeding the amount permitted by the workers' compensation fee schedule. The holding was that the defendant had demonstrated appropriate mailing practices and procedures of the denials and IME scheduling letters, and had not established its fee schedule defense as a matter of law. The court modified the order by denying the branches of the defendant's cross motion seeking summary judgment dismissing the plaintiff's first and sixth causes of action.
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